


as the day bleeds on

by Phoenix_Allura (Artemis_Autumn_Marie)



Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [30]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amputation, Amputee Tony Stark, Endgame Fix-It, Extremis, Extremis Tony Stark, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, M/M, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, Worried T'Challa, consort tony stark, royal consort Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26445397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Autumn_Marie/pseuds/Phoenix_Allura
Summary: Prompt: RecoveryTony doesn't know how long he's been out for.(Too long.)But he's better now, he's back.And dammit if he isn't going to build himself a new arm.
Relationships: Shuri & T'Challa (Marvel), Shuri & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/T'Challa
Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507226
Comments: 4
Kudos: 195





	as the day bleeds on

Tony opened his eyes.

He hadn’t expected to, not after that. Someone spooned ice chips into his mouth and Tony swallowed obediently.

“They took the feeding tube out this morning, your throat will be sore. Don’t try to speak.” T’Challa told him. “Here.” He set a laptop stand over his legs gently.

Tony moved to type, and realized why the stand was there.

His right arm was gone.

“Left arm, Antonio.” T’Challa told him gently. “Shuri figured you’d like to have a say in your prosthetic, and left it alone. She has a few designs drawn up, if you’d like to see.”

Tony typed out “Prosthetic? I’m going to be a cyborg.” T’Challa laughed.

“It is good to know your humor has not left you.”

Tony flipped through the apps on the tablet, then saw the date.

“It’s been a year?”

“Yes. We put you in cryo freeze for the first few months, until Dr. Cho was available to help oversee your placement into the Cradle, and the injection of Extremis.” Tony wanted to laugh. Another injection? He’d taken a very mild form after Siberia, one that had by design included technopathy and a mild healing factor. He reached out to FRIDAY with his mind.

“You doing alright, FRI?”

“Better now that you’re awake, Boss. Would you like me to get you caught up?”

“Please. And give me everything we have on cybernetics, would you?” Turning his attention back to the tablet, Tony asked T’Challa “How long until I can get out of here?” As wonderful as Wakanda’s doctors were, Tony still hated being confined to bedrest.

“That’s a question for the doctors, Tony. You spent several months in and out of the Cradle, and have spent the last three in a coma.”

“Wonderful. Can I see a doctor, then? I want to know when I can get up.” Tony was restless already, and he felt the new Extremis connection nudging at him. He opened up his senses, breathing deep to try and minimize the way it made his head spin.

Huh. His chest felt...fine, for once. No pain, not even a twinge when he sat up straighter. It was strange, after years of chronic pain, that Extremis took it all away.

“The arc reactor is back in your chest permanently, Tony.” T’Challa shook him from his thoughts.

“I know.” He’d felt it, but it was more like a heavy presence than anything else. “Actually, we might be able to take it out again.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain when I can talk. It’ll be easier.” Thinking of that, Tony directed Extremis to heal the raw spots in his throat and cleared it carefully.

“So. You might want to sit down, T’Challa, this is a long story. And get whoever my main doctors are in here. Helen, obviously, and Shuri.”

Several long explanations later, with FRIDAY helping here and there, and everyone was brought up to speed.

“So you’ve had two injections of Extremis.” Helen said, voice flat. “And you’re sure they’re not interfering with each other?”

“Absolutely certain. The one I injected myself with is very mild, only enough for a weak healing factor and technopathy. The formula for the one you gave me is chemically almost the same, just much much stronger.”

“Why were you in a coma for so long, then?” Shuri asked. “You’ve got a healing factor now.”

“You know that’s not how it works, Shuri. I suspect it’s because I can’t feel any pain in my chest anymore.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. If you did a scan I’m sure you’d see that the nerves are healed, the muscles are healed, my bones are fused with the metal sternum. When I injected myself, that was not the case. It helped a little, but it didn’t take everything away. This one kept me under to heal that.”

“Can you regenerate your arm, then?” One of the doctors--there were several in the room, Tony hadn’t caught all their names--asked.

“No. There’s no regeneration factor. There could be, if we tweaked it a little, but honestly I don’t want to mess with Extremis more than I have to.” Tony told him.

“Everyone out, please.” Helen said suddenly. “Tony just woke up from a coma, and healing factor or not, it’s been a long day.” Shuri and T’Challa were the only ones who stayed, T’Challa sitting on the bed. Tony tugged him closer and leaned against him. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was tired.

“FRIDAY, can you do a 3D imaging of Tony’s chest, please?” Shuri asked.

“Yes, Miss Boss.” A moment later, the scan popped up, the metal marked in blue, the nerves in yellow, the bones in white, and the muscles in red. 

“Send it to their labs, FRI. Do I have clearance to move, doc?” He turned to Helen. He wanted to spend the night in his own damn bed, cuddling with his husband.

Helen sighed. “Yes, but be very careful. T’Challa, would you mind carrying him?”

“Not at all.” He’d been quiet, the whole time; Tony didn’t know what he thought of all this. T’Challa helped him change first, into a loose shirt and pants, then picked him up princess-style.

“Come, my consort. We must speak alone.” His voice was low.

After putting Tony on their bed, he said, “This is all I will ask tonight, Tony. You have explained much today. Why didn’t you tell me about the first injection?”

“Because I retired. Because I didn’t want you asking why I had needed it. I didn’t and don’t like thinking about it. And…” Tony trailed off. Well, if he was getting another chance at life, better be open about his feelings, right? “I was scared, of what you’d think.”

“I would never shame you for saving your life, my love. Or even for just making it better. That first Extremis eased your pain and helps you with your inventing, correct?”

“Yes, it helped with the shield wound and being able to talk to FRI in my head is great.” Tony yawned, watching as T’Challa climbed into the bed next to him.

“We can discuss further treatment for your arm in the morning. Sleep with me now.” Tony curled into his warmth.

Everything else could wait.

A month later, and Tony had designed and fabricated an arm to his specifications.

“Are you sure you don’t want to be in the Cradle for this?”

“Very sure, Helen. I know how it interfaces and I don’t want anything interfering for the first setup.” He’d also taken on of his budding AIs, named AMIRA, and made her primary focus the arm and its software upkeep. There were things that would need to be done manually, of course. But if the arm stopped connecting with his nervous system for whatever reason, AMIRA and he would be able to control it together.

“Are you sure you want it this color?” Shuri asked.

“Yes.” The arm was… subtle, for him. It was a sleek black with gold on the joints and outlining the fingers.

“We can still make it red.”

“I don’t want it red, Shuri, and it can be changed later if I want.” He laughed. She thought he didn’t have other colors yet? When he got it to change color on command, now that’d be good. Then he wouldn’t need a ‘formal’ arm. That’s what this was; he was flying out to the States in a few days for meetings.

“Linking nerves… now.” Helen said, and Tony felt it pinch, then sting, but that was the worst it got.

“How’s it looking, AMIRA?”

“Great, Mister Stark! Almost everything is fully integrated and it should be online shortly!” She was always so perky.

“Where’d you get the great attitude from, hon?”

“Well, from Peter, of course!” She said brightly (that was how she said everything. Tony didn’t know if he’d ever get tired of it.)

“Of course.” Tony sat there for a few more minutes, chatting with FRI and approving designs in his head.

“Tony, will you be ready for lunch soon?” T’Challa touched him lightly on the shoulder.

“What? It’s not lunchtime yet.”

“It is, Mister Stark. Your arm has been fully online for an hour and Dr. Cho and Princess Shuri left half an hour ago.” AMIRA told him. “I have been trying to get your attention.”

“Sorry, sweet. Let me test this a minute, then I’ll gladly join you for lunch.” Tony tested his arm. He had his usual range of motion, dexterity, everything worked like a charm.

“Shall we, my love?” T’Challa offered his arm, and Tony accepted. 

“Where are we going to lunch today, my king?” He asking, grinning. 

“Oh, I’ve got a wonderful little place in mind.” Tony laughed, resting his head against T’Challa’s arm for a moment.

“As you wish.”

(T’Challa’s lunch spot was where they said their vows on Wakandan soil. He proposed again, and they held an impromptu vow renewal. If you ask Tony, he didn’t cry. If you ask FRIDAY, AMIRA, and Shuri, he cried a lot.)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Unless I get my Day 31 fic done, this is it for today!  
> Let me know what you thought! Come hang out on tumblr @thaliaisalesbian!  
> As always,  
> Nix


End file.
